Jason Kay's Column

If expansion or relocation ever becomes a reality, here's the top five destinations for a freshman franchise. Toronto went gaga last week over a tenuous story musing about the possibility of a second NHL franchise in the self-ordained center of the hockey universe.

A report this week quoting a few NHL governors caused the debate about another NHL team in Toronto to rise yet again. I’m not sure how the “news” played outside the self-ordained center of the hockey universe, but within the 416 and 905 area codes it spread like chicken pox in daycare.

Any player considering a move to the Kontinental League should think about more than just the large sum of money being offered. I have three words of advice for any professional hockey player considering jumping to the Kontinental League: do your homework.
The lure of lucre is sweet and we realize as professional athletes your window of opportunity for big paydays is relatively small, but money, we’re told (and often believe), ain’t everything.

The start of the season had some surprises, though Sean Avery's mouth was predictable. However, this time he has a point. Predictably, the first week of the NHL season had its share of surprises.
The defending champion Detroit Red Wings, virtually everyone’s pick to repeat as Stanley Cup champs, were shocked in Game 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, many people’s pick to compete hard in the John Tavares/Victor Hedman sweepstakes.

With the economy on shaky ground, will a poor showing by the Sabres have N.Y. sports fans looking elsewhere? I was perusing the Team Reports for an upcoming issue of The Hockey News (the old-school paper version, that is) when I was struck by a sense of optimism in many quarters of the NHL.

There may still be some growning pains, but the East Coast Cats look ready to pounce sooner than later. Don’t look now, but here come the Florida Panthers.
Maybe.
The Panthers launched an ambitious Western Canadian road trip with back-to-back wins in Calgary and Edmonton, two difficult environments for visitors, before losing their third match to the Oilers in a shootout and their fourth to the Flames Friday night.

How exactly will THN's No. 1 GM get himself out of his cap conundrum?... and thoughts on Gretzky coaching Team Canada. There is no disputing the fact: camp is a four-letter word.
It’s the place your parents banished you to – one with no amenities and swarms of bugs – so they could have “mommy and daddy” time.

Philly's Joffrey Lupul is among a group of players in their early 20's who we feel have under-performed to this point. We’ve spilled a lot of ink in recent months celebrating a golden age of young stars, a time when a seeming horde of early 20-somethings have either grabbed the torch of stardom or have their hands held high.

It's the start of a new era at The Hockey News and we want your help to shape it. I got a call last Thursday morning from senior writer Mike Brophy, asking if I wanted to go for lunch.
Red flags, air-raid sirens and “last minute of play in this tenure” alerts should have gone off immediately because “Broph” – as he insisted I refer to him on his first day on the job 16 years ago – was on vacation.

With all the different tournaments, championships and leagues sprouting up around the world, a little simplification would help. Maybe it’s a reflection of my age, or the age of man, or a combination of the two, but my attention span has dwindled to the size of…hey, did you check out that cute baby video on YouTube yet? I’ll kick her ass, LOL…
Where were we?
Right.

There are a few Original Six teams with a lot of potential to create a positive buzz and stir fan interest. Questions I’m frequently asked as editor-in-chief of The Hockey News (with the answers I wish I could furnish, but am too polite to utter, in parentheses) include:
1.

While the THN staff is busy ranking all the best modern logos, let's give some love to the best defunct NHL crests. What’s more fun in the middle of summer than a discussion on the best, and worst, hockey logos?
A top 10 ranking of the designs that no longer exist, except in the deepest recesses of our minds and some obscure websites.